


The End

by JCapasso



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Season 14 Episode 20
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-03-06 01:00:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18840397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JCapasso/pseuds/JCapasso
Summary: Set after the end of S14 E20 when Chuck gets pissed and releases the Zombies. An archangel they thought dead gives them new options.





	1. Prologue

Sam, Dean, and Cas were standing in the graveyard watching all the zombies come at them with mounting horror. They couldn’t even manage to consider how they might get out of this. There was only one thought on their minds. ‘Oh shit!’. Just as the zombies started to reach them and they were finally snapping out of it to put up a fight, they found themselves stumbling in the bunker, with a rather familiar archangel smirking at them. 

“You know, buckos. There’s usually a good reason we don’t piss off the old man,” he said wryly. 

“Gabriel!” Dean exclaimed. “What the hell? We thought you were dead!”

“Again,” Sam muttered. 

Gabriel just laughed. “One of these days you kiddos are gonna learn…Or maybe not. I’m still the trickster.”

“What happened to…you know…tricks are for kids?” Sam asked irritated. 

Gabriel snorted. “Call it a maudlin mood,” he said waving his hands for emphasis. “Aaanywho, you boys sure have yourselves in a pickle this time, dontcha.”

Cas looked almost hopeful. “Can you help us, brother?” 

Gabriel laughed again. “Probably not the way you want.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked. 

“Well…way I see it, you got three options. First, you could go outside and die, either now or when you run out of supplies in here. B, you might manage to convince me to keep you stocked and you can live the rest of your lives trapped in this little hole. Or three, I could make up a nice little dimension for you to live out relatively normal lives in,” Gabriel told them with a smirk. 

“Yeah, I think we’ll take the fourth option. We fight,” Dean said stubbornly. 

“That would be option one there bucko. You do realize that within the next hour, the entire world will be dead except for us and whoever else managed to have a nice little secure hideaway like this and got there in time. And they’ll be dead as soon as they step outside,” Gabriel pointed out amused. 

“Then help us,” Sam asked hopefully. 

Gabriel shook his head as though they were idiots. “You mean go up against my father? God? The creator of the universe? The man who controls the entire cosmos? Not a chance. Even if I were willing to take that chance, he could get rid of me as easily as swatting a fly. You boys pissed him off and started this. It’s over. So you can either save yourselves by accepting what little help I can offer, or go down swinging.”

“We’re not gonna run and hide while the whole world dies. Especially since it’s our fault,” Dean snapped. 

Gabriel shrugged. “Suit yourselves,” he said as he flew away. Unbeknownst to them, he had gone searching for other pockets of survivors. He would come back to them, but only when they were in so far over their heads they couldn’t see daylight. Maybe then they would accept his offer.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam, Dean, and Cas loaded up everything that might be useful; guns, machetes, angel blades, explosives, everything they could think of and strapped it to their backs before loading into one of the random cars in the garage. Dean was definitely going to have a talk with Gabriel about leaving his baby behind, but they could head that way to pick her up. No sooner than they reached the outskirts of town, they ran upon what could only be termed as a massacre. Zombies were eating everyone, people and animals alike. The screams reached their ears and they couldn’t just drive through. They got out of the car and started hacking away with the machetes, beheading every zombie they could, but it wasn’t enough. 

All the people they managed to rescue before they died ended up coming at their backs within minutes as they were turned into zombies as well. Then the dead ones started getting back up too, and it wasn’t long before they were surrounded and just trying to survive. They were cut off from the car, and going down. About the time Cas had a chunk taken out of his arm, Gabriel reappeared and grabbed their arms, using his wings to hold off the zombies for a moment. “Sorry buckos. It’s worse than I thought. Time to go,” he said as he flew them all away. 

They landed on what looked like a bare chunk of rock in the middle of nothing, and Dean spun on Gabriel. “What the hell?” 

Sam was a little calmer. At least on the outside, and managed a more reasonable response. “What did you mean when you said it was worse than you thought?” 

Gabriel gave a weary look. “Seems dear old dad didn’t just want the world to end. He wanted everything to end. He blasted heaven too. All the souls got dumped into the inbetween, which basically exploded, so they’re all gone and anyone else that dies ceases to exist or goes to the empty or whatever. Not really sure. Not sure what’s going on in hell, but I can’t imagine that’s any better than earth at the moment. Either way, there’s nothing left.”

“So…where are we?” Sam asked, seeing that Dean hadn’t regained his powers of speech yet. He wasn’t looking forward to that explosion when it happened. 

Gabriel chuckled. “Well right now, this is all there is in this dimension. Give me a few minutes to concentrate and I’ll work on building it. I didn’t have time to do much more than just pop us into a pocket.”

“You can’t just kidnap us! People are dying out there!” Dean finally snapped. 

“Yeah and you would have been one of them, moron!” Gabriel snapped back. “Do you seriously want me to send you back there?!” 

“As opposed to knowing that we just abandoned the world and are the only survivors?” Dean asked irritably. 

“So you want to die just so you don’t have to live with the guilt?” Gabriel asked sarcastically. “Talk about the cowards way out.”

“That’s…I…you…” Dean sputtered, and Sam couldn’t help a slight quirk of his lips at how discombobulated his brother was. 

“I mean death would be one thing, but ceasing to exist? That’s a whole new level of dedication there,” Gabriel kept going. 

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but would it be possible for you to heal me before continuing this debate, brother?” Cas piped in, still holding his bleeding arm. 

Gabriel rolled his eyes and slapped a hand over Cas’ arm, healing him. “Good thing it was you and not them that got bit. Even I can’t unturn a zombie.” 

“Thank you, brother,” Cas said relieved, flexing his newly healed arm. 

“Right then. Back to building,” Gabriel said as he closed his eyes and held out his arms to start creating more than this little rock in this dimension.

Dean grabbed Gabriel’s shoulder and spun him around. “We are not done with this conversation, Gabriel.”

Gabriel sighed. “Yes. We are. You’re here and you’re not leaving so either suck it up and deal or I will tie you up and gag you while I finish this and then you can go off and sulk.”

“He’s right, Dean,” Sam said trying to calm him down. “I don’t like it either, but it is what it is.” 

“You can just write off the whole world like that?!” Dean asked Sam incredulously. 

“Damnit Dean! You think I like this? The world is already gone. There’s nothing we can do about it. If heaven were still an option, I’d say let’s go fight till the end, but I’ve heard enough about the Empty that I sure as hell don’t want to end up there and if that’s a possibility, I don’t see what else we can do,” Sam snapped. 

“He is right, Dean. They both are. There is nothing that can be done for the world now. We can only try to survive ourselves. I am more curious as to why Gabriel saved us than anything else,” Cas interjected.

Sam looked over at Gabriel for an answer but saw that he had taken the chance while the attention was off of him to start building, so he turned back to Cas and Dean. “That will definitely be on the list of questions once he’s done.” 

Dean looked over at Gabriel and started to interrupt anyway, but Sam stopped him. “Just let him work. I don’t know about you, but this rock is getting a little cramped. We can worry about everything else later.” Truth was, Sam just wanted to curl up in a ball and fall apart, but he wasn’t about to do that in front of his brother, and doing so in front of Gabriel would be even worse. The best he could hope for is that Gabriel would finish soon and he could go off and ‘sulk’ as Gabriel had put it. 

About an hour later, they felt the ground moving under their feet as it started expanding. Gabriel had finished the sky and was starting on the land. That took about half an hour before Gabriel lowered his arms. “That’s about all I got for now. We have twenty square miles, you yahoos have a house that way, mine is that way,” he pointed in opposite directions. “It’s stocked for a couple days, barebones for furniture and stuff, but I’ll get more once I’m rested up.” With that Gabriel disappeared to go pass out. 

Sam huffed a bit, but couldn’t deny that Gabriel had looked dead on his feet. “Guess we’re getting our answers later then. Come on. Let’s go find our house.” He started walking in the direction Gabriel had indicated without looking back to see if anyone was watching. He could feel the tears prickling his eyes already. Cas just shrugged and followed, leaving a gobsmacked Dean to try and catch up. 

It took them nearly two hours of walking before they noticed the large house by the beach. Dean snorted. “Looks like Gabriel wanted us as far away from him as possible.” He was trying not to blow up at his brother, but he immediately realized what that meant. If they wanted to talk to Gabriel they would have to walk for hours to do it but he could fly around the island at will. He was too tired at this point to care though. He walked in and found the first bed and collapsed. 

Sam noticed the same thing, but like his brother, decided to worry about it tomorrow and found a room for himself, leaving Cas to explore the house and then the rest of the island while the hunters slept. It was pretty bare at the moment, but he knew how much power it must have taken to do this much and he assumed that Gabriel would need at least a few days to recover before doing any more. He checked the cabinets in the kitchen, glad to see that they were stocked with everything the hunters would need to get them through. They would likely be rather bored though because there was nothing to do. Thankfully, as an angel, Castiel was familiar with boredom, but he guessed that they would quickly grate on his nerves if he didn’t find them something to do.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long. I got word of a promotion right after I posted the first part, so I've been working longer hours, plus adjusting to a new roommate situation, so writing time is kinda hard to come by at the moment. I will finish it, but it will probably be slower than usual.

Cas’ prediction ended up being both wrong and right. Over the next few days, Sam barely came out of his room, and Dean was just on a rampage. As the only one around, Cas ended up taking the brunt of his attitude, but that was nothing new. Cas could only hope that when Gabriel showed back up, Dean wouldn’t piss him off enough to chuck them back into the ending world. If there was even anything left now. He might just throw them right into the Empty and be done with it. Then again, Gabriel did make a habit of surprising him. Sometimes he could be as touchy as unstable grace, and other times nothing affected him at all. 

It ended up being nearly a week before any of them saw hide nor hair of Gabriel again and they were running out of food, even with Sam barely eating. Of course, Gabriel being Gabriel he just appeared in the kitchen while Dean was trying to scrounge up some food and got shot for his trouble. Gabriel just rolled his eyes and brushed it off. “Nice way to greet your savior,” he snarked amusedly. 

“Kiss my ass,” Dean snapped irritably. 

Gabriel smirked and waggled his eyebrows. “You sure Cassie here wouldn’t get jealous?” 

“I…you…just…what the fuck do you want, Gabriel? And haven’t you ever heard of a door?”

“Of course I’ve heard of them. Just never seen much use for them,” Gabriel quipped. “And I figured you might be running low on supplies, but if you don’t want them…” he raised his hand like he was about to snap and paused. 

Dean just scowled and crossed his arms. He would be damned if he was going to beg Gabriel for anything. When Gabriel just shrugged and snapped his fingers to disappear, Dean snapped and threw a plate at the wall. “Damnit!”

Cas looked curiously at Dean, wondering if he wanted to jump in here, but decided he would have to lest the humans starve. “He seemed perfectly willing to give you supplies…” he said carefully. 

Dean spun to look at Cas. “No, he seemed perfectly happy to make me beg for it, and there’s not a chance in hell.”

“Perhaps he simply wanted to be appreciated for his efforts?” Cas suggested. He had no idea if that was true or not. Gabriel was a mystery to him in the best of times, but it seemed plausible. 

Dean just snorted and stormed off heading for the door. “Where are you going?” Cas asked. 

“To see if there’s anything edible around here I can scrounge up,” he grumbled. 

Once he was gone Cas sighed and decided to take matters into his own hands. “Brother if you can hear me, can we talk?” 

Gabriel appeared back in the kitchen where Cas still was. “What’s up, bro?” 

“It would be greatly appreciated if you could restock the house with food and supplies,” Cas tried. 

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “And you’re the one asking, why? I know you don’t eat.”

Cas knew that was coming, so he tried what he could to get what the hunters needed. “Because Dean is being stubborn, but you realize that you are punishing Sam as well by not helping.”

“I don’t see Sam asking for help either,” Gabriel pointed out. 

“Only because Sam has barely left his room since he’s been here and has to be forced to eat,” Cas told him. “I am sure, were he able, he would not be above asking for your help.”

Gabriel felt a look of worry flit across his face for a moment before he covered it up. Not quickly enough to hide it from his brother though. “I’ll talk to Sam and then we’ll see,” Gabriel said as he snapped his fingers and appeared in the room that Sam had apparently claimed as his own. When he appeared, the worry made a reappearance. Sam was just sitting on the bed staring at the wall, dried tear-tracks prominent on his face, and he didn’t even react at all to Gabriel’s appearance. Gabriel went over and sat next to him. “Sam?” he said gently. 

“Just go away,” Sam said brokenly. 

“You know this isn’t your fault right?” Gabriel asked putting a hand on the hunter’s shoulder. 

Sam looked at him incredulously. “Isn’t it? I’m the one who pushed him. Who pissed him off. Dean helped, but I’m the one who started it. If I hadn’t thrown the fit to begin with, it never would have escalated that far.”

“One thing you have to understand about my father…he’s an asshole. Always has been. It takes very little to set him off, and this is far from the first world destroyed in one of his tantrums. If it hadn’t been you it would have been something else. I’m honestly surprised that this world lasted as long as it did, but there’s no way it would have lasted much longer even without you. There wasn’t much left that would amuse him with the constant escalation that it has taken the last fifteen years.” Gabriel had no idea how true any of that was, but he suspected he was spot on. He wasn’t going to tell Sam that it was just speculation though. “He didn’t do it because of you. Your ‘fit’ as you call it, was just an excuse on his part. If it hadn’t been that, he would have found something else, or done it without an excuse.”

“How can you know that?” Sam asked, a spark of hope shining in his eyes. 

“Because I know my father. I’ve seen it happen before. It’s his MO. As soon as an archangel’s Nephilim came into the picture this world was doomed. He would never have allowed something that was a threat to him to exist for long. He was just waiting for someone else to do his dirty work. As soon as it became clear that you couldn’t or wouldn’t do it, he did it himself. It’s simple as that. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s Lucifer’s for being so reckless as to father a Nephilim in the first place. Not yours. Not your brother’s. Not even the kid’s,” Gabriel told him as his hand moved to rub circles on Sam’s back. 

“You…you’re sure?” Sam asked hopefully. “You swear?”

Gabriel gave him a slight smile. “I swear on everything holy to me, Sam. This is NOT your fault.” Gabriel watched as the weight of the world, literally, slid off Sam’s shoulders, but the despair still stayed in his eyes. 

“It still doesn’t make a difference. It’s all still gone. Everyone…everything…it doesn’t matter whose fault it was,” Sam said sadly. 

“It doesn’t make a difference for the world no, but it does for you. The guilt is a much heavier burden than the sadness. You can still mourn. You /should/ still mourn. Just don’t let the guilt pull you any lower. Start taking care of yourself. Take a shower, eat a real meal, take a little time to wallow and then pull yourself up and start living again. Okay?” Gabriel unconsciously reached up to brush a lock of hair from Sam’s face to behind his ear. 

Sam took a few deep breaths, tears forming in his eyes again, but not falling. “Yeah. Okay. I can do that,” He stood up slowly and started walking towards the door before turning back. “Th-thanks Gabriel,” he said softly and sincerely. 

Gabriel smiled at him and nodded before snapping his fingers and disappearing, leaving the kitchen stocked with all Sam’s favorite foods, knowing and not caring that Dean didn’t particularly like them. He even left a large carrot cake on the counter spelled so only Sam could touch it. 

Gabriel reappeared on the beach and started to take a walk as he got lost in thought. He had been intending to add more to the dimension, but his thoughts kept straying to Sam. It was no secret that he’d always had a bit of a thing for the giant puppy, but seeing him so broken…it was like a knife to the gut. He would have given anything to never have seen that sight, and now he couldn’t get it out of his head. He just hoped that what he had said got through to the hunter. He would have to keep a closer eye on things from this point on. He had gotten Sam up and out of the room at least. He would check in tomorrow and see how he was doing. If he had to, he would double kidnap the hunter and put him back together the hard way. If no one else was going to take care of him than Gabriel sure as hell would.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I've been working a crapload of overtime trying to move into a house that's not falling apart, and deal with packing and issues with the house when I'm not working, so life has been hectic. If this story isn't done by then, I should be able to get back to a semi-normal writing schedule in a few weeks once I'm moved. Until then, bear with me.

Sam finished his shower and had to admit he did feel a bit better so he went to the kitchen to find something to eat. He couldn’t help the slight smile that flickered on his face when he saw his brother trying to get to the carrot cake on the counter. He just walked over and grabbed the cake without difficulty, laughing at his brother’s indignant face. He was nice enough to cut Dean a piece too though. He then proceeded to choke on a bite of cake as Dean still couldn’t touch it. It wasn’t quite as funny when Dean picked up the plate and chucked it at Sam, hitting him dead in the face though. At least not as funny for Sam. Dean thought it was hilarious. 

After he ate, Sam decided to take a walk around and see what there was to see. When he got outside he just picked a direction and started walking. It didn’t take long before he found himself at the beach in the strange situation of watching a mountain range slowly form in the distance across the water. He watched in awe for a while before he turned and started walking up the beach. And it was definitely up. He could feel the incline to the ground as the beach gave way to cliffs. 

He saw Gabriel long before he got there, but it was clear that the archangel didn’t see him and Sam just stopped and stared again for a good long while. He could never have imagined Gabriel looking so majestic. He was standing on the cliff with his hands in the air over his head as the wind blew his sandy hair around, but the way the sun was hitting it, it looked more golden and Sam would swear he could almost see the halo. He shook himself out of his stupor soon enough and kept walking towards Gabriel. He wanted to talk, but didn’t want to interrupt. He noticed the twitch of the archangel’s shoulders as he came up so he knew that Gabriel knew he was there, so he just stood and waited to be acknowledged when Gabriel had time. 

Gabriel internally cursed when he sensed Sam’s approach. He had just gotten into the mindset to start building again and he really wasn’t in the mood to be yelled at anymore. He knew he had to get it over with though or he’d never get any more work done in this dimension. He doubted Sam would wait much longer so the mountain range ended up smaller than he’d intended, but oh well. He could go back and add more later. He rushed his way to a stopping point before turning to Sam, “Sup Samsquatch.” He was beyond surprised when he got a smile in return. 

“Must you call me that?” Sam asked amusedly. He had to admit it was rather funny. Especially from a shorty like Gabe. Wait, where did that come from. Since when did he think of Gabriel as Gabe?

Gabriel gave a little snort of laughter. “Yep. So what brings you up here this fine day?” Gabriel tried to get things back on track, or at least figure out why the hell Sam was being so nice. 

Sam gave a kind of sheepish shrug. “I don’t know. Once I showered and ate, I decided to go for a walk. Get out for a while and my feet just led me here. I like the mountains,” he tried to change the subject by motioning across the water. 

Gabriel couldn’t help the twitch of his lips at that. Seemed his talk had actually done some good for once. “Figured it would help if we could see something other than water as far as the eye could see. And this way you won’t be forced to share an island with me. There’s somewhere else you can go later once I’m done.”

Sam furrowed his brow for a moment as he tried to consider what Gabriel was thinking. “We don’t mind sharing an island with you, you know.” At least he didn’t and he was sure Cas didn’t. Dean might have something to say about it, but he doubted it would be vociferous. “I mean, if you want to get rid of us, you can, of course.” It suddenly dawned on Sam that maybe Gabe was trying to get some peace and just making it about them to deflect. 

“You want to stay here with me?” Gabriel asked confused. “You hate me,” he pointed out. 

“What? No we don’t,” Sam protested, honestly not understanding how Gabriel could think that. “You helped us out a lot. Granted you screwed us over a lot too, but at most we’re just irritated with you sometimes.”

“But I dragged you here…” Gabriel said, trying to point out that being on the island with him would just be a reminder of them losing everything. 

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, but I get it. Dean is slowly coming to terms with it, but I get it. You saved what you could. I still have no idea why you saved us of all people though.”

“Because you’re special,” Gabriel said without even thinking and then immediately tried to backtrack. “I mean, you’ve been more connected with all this and would at least have some idea what was going on and Cassie is my brother and all, one of the only good ones, and he would never let me bring him here without you two and…”

Sam laughed. “You’re babbling Gabe.” 

Gabriel snapped his mouth shut and gave a half-hearted glare to Sam before turning and looking back over the water. “Was there anything else you needed? I still have some work to do.”

Sam felt his lips quirk at the clear deflection, but recognized Gabriel’s need for distance. “Just…thank you.”

Gabriel did an incredulous double take at Sam and eloquently said, “Huh?”

Sam chuckled at that. It was like the archangel had never been thanked before. “Thank you,” he said again, more clearly. “For saving us, for what you said before, and just…for trying. Thank you.”

Gabriel blinked speechlessly at Sam for a moment before turning back to the cliff with an almost inaudible, “You’re welcome.” 

When Gabriel raised his hands again, Sam felt the dismissal and couldn’t help his soft smile as he turned and continued his walk, but he couldn’t help but look back at Gabriel often until he was out of sight, just to see the majesty of him in full creation mode. Sam would never admit what such a sight did to him. 

Once Sam was back on the level beach, he walked for a while longer before he stripped out of his socks, shoes, jacket, and overshirt and sat down in the sand on top of his overshirt and watched the water, getting lost in thought. Inevitably, his thoughts kept returning to Gabriel as he turned that conversation over in his mind. Gabriel had seemed almost sad or hurt when he mentioned them wanting to move off the island, but why would he be. Unless he just missed having one of his brothers around and assumed that Cas would go with them. But when he said that they hated him, it seemed like more than that. That was definitely hurt, and not just for Cas. Sam knew that Gabriel didn’t mean to say that they were special, and at first he had thought that Gabe just didn’t want anyone to know that he wasn’t a dick, but now that Sam was thinking about it…no, that was just wishful thinking. 

Sam had long buried his forbidden feelings for the archangel, so the thought that Gabriel had been talking about Sam being special was quickly filed away with them. He couldn’t help the little spark of hope that ignited though, despite how hard he tried to ignore it. One thing Sam definitely couldn’t shake though was the archangel’s complete discombobulation at the idea of being thanked. Had he ever been thanked before? Sam thought over their past interactions and realized that they’d never thanked him, but that look was more than just a confusion at him in particular thanking him. Gabriel honestly looked like he had never been thanked in his life. 

Sam took a moment to try and see Gabriel’s point of view. The youngest of the archangels that raised the seraphs. He couldn’t really see any of the other archangels doing much with kids. Michael was too stuck up, Lucifer was too self-absorbed, and Raphael wasn’t even worth mentioning which meant most of the care would probably have fallen to Gabriel, and he couldn’t see any of the archangels thanking him for it, and the seraphs would never have thought to. Then he runs away and takes on a pagan trickster aspect and no one thanks a trickster even when they help you, so yeah. Maybe Gabriel really had never been thanked before in his life. Sam resolved then and there to make sure to do so every chance he got. 

Sam’s train of thought continued as he watched the mountains grow and gain more definition and eventually he noticed movement in the distance on the water and recognized a dolphin and smiled. Seemed that Gabe had moved on to sea life and he couldn’t help but wonder what other kind of life would crop up on the island. He sat there lost in thought until after the sun had gone down before he picked himself up and headed back to the house, following his tracks from before.


	5. Chapter 5

When Sam got back to the house he found a frantic Dean and Cas was gone. Dean rounded on him the second he walked in. “Where the hell have you been?” 

Sam sighed and said, “I just took a walk, Dean. What’s your problem?”

“I sent Cas out looking for you. I didn’t know where you were and of course the damn pixie couldn’t give us cell phone service out here.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Dean. What did you think would happen? I might get kidnapped? And lay off Gabriel already. He probably just hasn’t even thought about cell phone service. Maybe if you’d ask nicely he’d take care of it.”

Dean huffed. “Like I’m begging for anything from him.”

“I didn’t say beg. I said ask. You know what, never mind. I’ll ask him.”

“Since when are you so chummy with the archdouche,” Dean asked suspiciously. 

“Since I realized that he’s just been trying to help. He didn’t have to save us you know. He could have just left us for the empty.”

“So this is better then? Living in a fake fantasy world for the rest of our lives?” 

Sam couldn’t help the quirk of his lips. “Fake? How is this fake? This is the same way the real world was created remember? It’s just going a little slower with only one archangel instead of god and four archangels, but it’s plenty real.” 

Dean narrowed his eyes. “Whatever. Just don’t disappear again without telling me where you’re going and when you’ll be back.”

Sam laughed. “You don’t honestly think I’m gonna report to you like a five year old do you?” 

“Damnit, Sam. I’m just trying to look out for you,” Dean snapped irritably. 

“And I do appreciate that, but I’m a grown man and I don’t have to check with you if I want to take a damn walk. I’ll try to let you know when I’m leaving, but I refuse to have a curfew.”

Dean deflated at that and had to admit that Sam had a point. “Okay fine,” he said as he stormed off. Logically he knew he was being ridiculous, but in a new and unfamiliar place when Sam hadn’t left the room in almost a week and then him suddenly missing all day scared the hell out of him. At least he didn’t have to worry about Cas. He would be checking back in in another hour or so. 

Sam went to his room and slammed the door, trying not to let Dean get to him before he stopped and looked up. “Hey Gabe, I know you’re probably busy so you don’t have to come right now, but when you have time I was hoping to ask you something.”

Gabriel appeared in the room less than five minutes later. “What’s up buttercup?” he asked lazily, leaning against the wall. 

“I know you probably haven’t thought about it really since I doubt you use them, but do you think we could get cell phone service here somehow? Just so we can call each other when we’re out and about?”

Gabriel shrugged and just snapped his fingers. “It’s not exactly cell phone service, but I did connect you, your brother’s, and Cassie’s phones so you can talk on them from anywhere. That work?” 

Sam smiled and nodded. “Thanks Gabe.”

Gabriel blinked at him for a moment before he just shrugged off the thanks and decided to change the subject. “So what’s got you so tense all of a sudden. You seemed pretty relaxed when I saw you on the beach a little while ago.”

Sam sighed. “Dean. Apparently he got freaked out when I was gone and then tried to institute a curfew on me.”

Gabriel laughed uproariously. “I do hope you reminded him that you are an adult and can do as you wish.” 

Sam nodded. “Yeah. I did. But now that the phones are working it shouldn’t be an issue. He can call me and make sure I’m fine now. He was probably just worried and with as much as he’s shouldering lately, he handles it much worse than he usually does which is saying something.”

Gabriel shrugged but bit back his comment about their freaky codependence. “So anything else you needed kiddo?” 

“Not really. Just want to say, I know you don’t really have time now, but when you’re done with all your building and stuff, you’re welcome to come hang out whenever,” Sam told him. 

Gabriel tilted his head at Sam suspiciously. “Why?” He could almost understand Sam not running full speed away to another island first chance he got, but why would he actually want Gabriel around? He said himself that he irritated him. 

“Because it’s nice having someone around other than Dean and Cas all the time. Because you’re fun to have around even when you’re being a pest. Because I just lost everything and every friendly face counts. Take your pick,” Sam said, looking away. He gave away a little too much with that last one, but he couldn’t take it back now. 

Gabriel’s face melted into a look of concern as he reached a hand up to put on Sam’s shoulder. “It’s okay to not be okay, you know. I never expected you to get over it overnight. You don’t have to pretend. If my being around helps you cope, I’ll be here. I was just trying to give you your space.”

Sam looked back at Gabriel with a smile and reached up to pat Gabriel’s hand where it rested on his shoulder and barely resisted the urge to do more. “Thank you, Gabriel. Really. For everything.” 

Gabriel gave his shoulder a squeeze and said, “For now, though, you need some rest. You look exhausted. I’ll stop by tomorrow evening if I don’t run into you sooner.” He disappeared once he finished speaking, afraid of what he would say or do if he didn’t leave now. He just wished he knew what it was about Sam that kept drawing him in like a moth to flame. 

Once Gabriel was gone, Sam let out a heavy breath. He had never had so much trouble keeping his feelings in check before. Then again, Gabriel had never been so kind before either, so maybe it wasn’t surprising. What scared him more than the feelings rearing their ugly head though, was the hope that just kept flaming higher with every moment Gabe was around. And the ease with which he had slipped into calling him Gabe. He knew, rationally, that he should keep his distance, but he meant what he said. Living the rest of his life with no one but Dean and Cas around would drive him insane. He knew that he would probably never get more from Gabe than friendship, but by god he would take it. 

Sam quickly went through his nighttime routine and laid down in bed. Gabriel had been right about one thing. He was exhausted. He hadn’t been sleeping well since he got here, and after spending the whole day outside, a good portion of it walking, he was beat. It wasn’t long before he was out like a light. 

When Sam woke up the next morning, he remembered hazy dreams of crying and Gabriel coming and sitting with him and running hands through his hair as Sam laid his head in Gabriel’s lap and sobbed. He wondered if the real Gabriel would have done the same. A week ago that would have been a resounding no, but lately…well there was a better chance, if not a good one. 

Sam ate breakfast and left a note for Dean that he was going exploring and that the phones should work now and he headed out. This time he went a different direction and walked through the woods until he got to another beach. He rolled his pant legs up and stripped off his socks and shoes and stood with his feet in the water as he looked around. He hadn’t realized how empty the sky had been until he realized that there were clouds now. And birds. They were too high for him to make out what kinds though, but he was sure he would eventually. 

After a while he wanted more water than just on his feet, so he stripped down to his boxers and waded into the ocean, letting the water soothe him. When he climbed out, he noticed Gabriel standing on the beach watching him. “Having fun?” the archangel asked. 

Sam shrugged. “Somewhat. More relaxed than fun, but yeah.”

Gabriel smiled. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. You had a rough night.”

Sam’s eyes widened as he realized that he might not have been dreaming. “I…um…was I dreaming or…” he wasn’t sure how to ask without seeming like an idiot. 

Gabriel gave a wry chuckle. “Nope. Not dreaming.”

Sam winced. “I’m sorry.”

Gabriel blinked at that. “Sorry? Why are you sorry?”

“Well…I kinda…cried all over you…didn’t I?” 

“Yeah, but I’m the one who came. I could have left at any time. I was there because I wanted to be so why should you be sorry?”

“Why?” Sam asked. 

“Why what?” 

“Why would you want to be there? Why would you put up with me? Why…why do you…care?” Sam desperately needed an answer to that. He needed to know so that he could either put his feelings away for good or let the hope live. 

Gabriel shrugged. “I just do. Does it really matter?” 

Sam blushed and looked down. “No. I guess not. Well…thanks again.” 

Gabriel just deflected by chuckling and shaking his head. “So you want a tour of the island or are you enjoying your aimless wandering?”


	6. Chapter 6

Sam put his pants back on and grabbed his shirts as he walked off with Gabriel and asked, “So how big is this island exactly?” 

“I expanded a little bit. Now it’s twenty miles or so from end to end and about ten miles across.” 

“That’s pretty big for just four people,” Sam told him.

“In the old world maybe, but that’s when you could run into town for something or take a trip somewhere and see other people around. When this is all there is, it’s gonna get pretty small pretty quick, which is why I’m working on building up more of a world so there are other places to go and things to see.”

“Are you also making more stuff on the island? I noticed a dolphin in the water yesterday and some birds today, so will there be animals here too?” Sam asked. 

“Sure there are. I was waiting to get your input on that though. It’s rather slow going as far as creating animals so I figured I’d get some favorites first. Any requests?” 

Sam considered for a moment, “I have always wanted a dog…” he said hesitantly. 

Gabriel smiled and nodded, snapping his fingers and creating a wolf pup before handing it to Sam. “Like that?” He was trying to keep things as close to the natural part of the old world as possible, so he was trying to avoid the man bred dogs, but if Sam asked, he would make an exception. The wolf that he gave Sam, while it still had it’s wild instincts, it would be a good companion if raised from a pup like this. 

Sam grinned and took the puppy. “It’s perfect.” He picked it up in front of his face to look closer at it and realized that it was a wolf. He would take it though. “Now I just have to figure out what to name him.”

“Want a suggestion?” Gabriel asked. When Sam nodded, he suggested, “What about Lykos?” 

Sam smiled. “Lykos. I like it. Greek right?” Gabriel nodded and Sam smiled wider. “Thanks Gabe. He’s great.” 

“You should probably carry him around for today. He’s very young and it’ll help the bond form between you,” Gabriel told him. 

Sam nodded and was dry enough now that he could slip his shirts back on and he tucked in his overshirt and buttoned it about halfway and put Lykos in the little pouch as they walked. “So it seemed pretty easy for you to create Lykos, but you said it’s slow going on creating animals?” he asked curiously. 

Gabriel shrugged. “Wolves are easy. I have more than a little familiarity with them than most animals and there isn’t a whole lot more to be done habitat wise for wolves. Especially when he’s going to be a pet. I don’t have to worry about having any kind of food chain for him since you’ll be feeding him. Ecosystems can be complicated.” 

Sam nodded again. “Yeah okay. That makes sense. You wouldn’t want the entire island to end up overrun with rabbits because you forgot to make any predators to keep them weeded down.” 

“Exactly,” Gabriel said as they started walking again. “There’s also the concern of keeping the island safe for humans at the same time. This island probably won’t have a lot in the way of wildlife, but the nearby landmasses will be more like nature preserves.” 

“Understandable. As long as there is something here. It’s a bit eerie how empty it is right now.” 

“Okay, I’ll make putting something here my next priority,” Gabriel promised. “Anything I should specifically avoid?” He knew that humans often had irrational fears so would cater to that to some degree. 

“Spiders would be nice if you could avoid,” Sam told him. He wasn’t going to mention that it was Dean afraid of spiders in fear that Gabriel would make a race of three foot tall spiders just to mess with Dean. 

Gabriel nodded. “Okay so light on the insects then since there won’t be spiders to eat them. I can use reptiles and amphibians to help, but spiders are a big part of that.”

“Um…snakes would probably be bad too. And…well…” 

“What?” Gabriel asked trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice. If Sam was embarrassed about a fear it would be a good one. 

“Well…maybe we could avoid possums too?” 

Gabriel blinked at him and then burst into laughter. “Possums? Cute little cuddly possums?” Sam reached over and smacked him irritated, but a little amused too. “Ouch. Okay fine. No possums. Promise.”

“Douche,” Sam teased playfully. 

“Wimp,” Gabriel teased back before going back to explaining about the island and pointing out things to remember. 

Sam absently pet Lykos as they were walking and listened to Gabriel with only half an ear while the other kept turning over what was said on the beach. It wasn’t long before Sam’s stomach growled and Gabriel stopped. “Sorry Sam-a-lam. Forgot about lunch. Anything in particular you want?” 

Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. Just a sandwich is fine.” 

Gabriel rolled his eyes and snapped up a large meatball sub with provolone cheese, a sweet blend of herbs, lettuce, and onions. “There you go,” he handed it to Sam. 

Sam couldn’t help but laugh at Gabriel’s idea of a sandwich but started to eat it anyway, sharing some of the meatballs with Lykos and noticing that Gabriel had snapped up a candy bar to eat. By the time Sam finished his sub, he couldn’t help the words that tumbled from his mouth. “Why are you doing all this, Gabriel?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean saving us, bringing us here, trying so hard to make us comfortable, talking to me and comforting me, all of it.” 

Gabriel just sighed. He couldn’t bring himself to lie to Sam at the moment so he just said, “It doesn’t matter, Sam,” and turned away to continue walking. 

Sam reached out and grabbed his arm. “It matters to me, Gabe,” he said softly, letting his hand slide down Gabriel’s arm so he was nearly holding the archangel’s hand, but it could still be played off as not wanting him to leave without an answer.

Gabriel looked down at Sam’s hand and then back up at the hunter. “Sam…” he said trying to keep his voice steady. “You really don’t want to go there.” 

Sam noticed Gabriel’s hand flex like it was about to take his, but stop and he could see the apprehension and almost hope in Gabriel’s eyes and decided to take a chance so he took another step closer to Gabriel and let his hand slip into the archangel’s as he said softly, “Don’t be so sure of that.”

Gabriel took a deep breath before going as far as he could at this point. “Because you’re more important to me than you should be,” he said before taking his hand away from Sam and walking off, not looking back to see if Sam was following him or not. 

Sam just stood there blinking for a moment as the words sunk in. Could Gabriel mean what he thought he meant? What he hoped he meant? That little flame of hope that he had suddenly turned into a raging inferno and he couldn’t just leave it at that, but he recognized Gabriel’s need to drop it for now, so he just rushed to catch up and said, “You’re more important to me than you should be too,” before changing the subject and asking about a type of tree that he had never seen before. 

When Gabriel didn’t answer his question he turned to look at the archangel and saw the most dumbfounded look he’d ever seen on Gabriel’s face and wondered what he was going to do. Gabriel stepped close as their eyes locked and Sam suddenly lost the will to breathe as he got lost in those incredible amber eyes. The look didn’t break until he felt Gabriel’s warm hand on his cheek and he instinctively leaned into it as his eyes fluttered closed. A moment later he felt a warm breath over his lips and smelled peppermint and chocolate on Gabriel’s breath as the archangel just whispered, “Sam…” with a voice full of hope. Sam leaned down and closed the distance between them, touching his lips to Gabriel’s and a hand went to Gabriel’s waist to pull him closer. 

Gabriel’s breath caught the second Sam’s lips touched his and he melted into the embrace and immediately deepened the kiss as Sam pulled him tighter. This was everything he’d ever dreamed of and it wasn’t until that moment that he realized that he more than ‘had a thing’ for Sam. He was totally and completely in love with the tall hunter. Judging by the way Sam was kissing him back though, maybe the feelings were actually returned. Or at least he had a chance that they would be in time. It seemed like both forever and an instant before they were distracted by a growl and Sam startled and jumped back, looking around. 

Gabriel realized where it came from first and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sorry Lykos,” he said reaching over to pet the pup that was still snuggled against Sam’s stomach. 

Sam grinned sheepishly and added his own apologies to the little wolf, before looking back at Gabriel, worrying and overthinking things. 

Gabriel could see the apprehension in Sam’s eyes and didn’t let on that he felt the same so he just gave a cock-eyed smirk and reached out a hand to Sam with an eyebrow raised in question and Sam smiled and took his hand, threading their fingers together as they continued walking and talking.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam and Gabriel walked, hand in hand for another ten minutes, chatting about inconsequential things around the island before Gabriel made an abrupt change of subject. “How long?” 

Sam blinked for a second, not keeping up with the subject change. “How long what?” 

“How long have I been ‘more important to you than I should be’?” Gabriel asked in a tone that may as well have been talking about the weather. 

Sam took a deep breath and considered his answer. “Since the first time I got a glimpse of the real you when you were trapped in the holy fire,” he said honestly. 

Gabriel snorted. “So when you found out I was an archangel instead of a monster,” he said accusingly, without losing the casual tone. 

Sam shook his head. “That had nothing to do with it. In fact, at the time we kinda hated angels, especially archangels, as much if not more than monsters.”

“Then what was it?” Gabriel asked curiously. 

Sam shrugged a bit. “It was a lot of things…” he trailed off, not thinking that Gabriel would like the real answer much. 

Gabriel stopped and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “If this is gonna work, we’re gonna have to be honest with each other, you know.”

Sam looked back at him in challenge. “Are you even capable of that?” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and he snatched his hand from Sam’s and walked off. Sam rushed after him. “Oh come on Gabe. It’s a valid question.”

Gabriel spun around to glare at Sam. “Is it? Why would you even care about me if you think I’m not capable of honesty when it’s warranted? What the hell kind of relationship do you expect here if that’s your opinion?” 

Sam sighed. Gabriel had a point and he realized that his question hadn’t come out the way he intended. “I worded that wrong. I’m sorry. I know you are capable of it. I just meant that it’s obviously been a long time since you let anyone in and I want to be sure that if I let you in, you’ll do the same. That’s all.” 

Gabriel looked at Sam searchingly for a moment, trying to figure out whether he was telling the truth or blowing smoke. He realized it was a combination of both, so he accepted it. “Fine. And yes. I meant that we both have to be honest, not just you. Now are you gonna answer the question?”

“Okay. But I don’t think you’re going to like it,” Sam said and when Gabriel continued looking at him expectantly, he answered. “I saw the humanity in you. The vulnerability. You weren’t made of stone anymore. You actually did have feelings and you kept them hidden. It made me wonder why. What could have made you keep your feeling locked away so tightly, and…” 

“And what?” Gabriel asked, softening at Sam’s explanation. He was starting to understand why Sam would think that Gabriel wouldn’t open up, and in most situations he would be right, but Sam was different. Not to mention it wasn’t like there were that many other people around for him to blab to. He knew why Sam would think he wouldn’t like it, but in reality, it made him feel much better about this whole thing. 

“And I wondered if you could teach me to lock them away too,” Sam finished looking at the ground.

Gabriel gave him a sad smile. “The thing you don’t realize about locking them away though, Sammy, is that they tear you up inside even more that way. The only difference is that no one else has to know.” 

“What do you mean?” Sam asked almost worried. 

Gabriel took a deep breath before he started to strip off his shirt, letting his illusions fall. He found himself hesitating though, but forced himself to continue. “No one has ever seen me like this. Without my illusions. Not even when Asmodeus had me prisoner. I always held enough grace to keep them up.”

Sam was suddenly worried about what he would see, but made sure to keep his face even so as not to spook the archangel as he nodded. “Thank you for being willing to show me,” he said. Even if Gabriel chickened out, he wouldn’t blame him. The thought was there at least. He could wait if need be. 

Gabriel took another deep breath and closed his eyes as he finished unbuttoning the shirt and pulled it off, allowing Sam to see the scars that criss-crossed the front of his body, doing his best to ignore the hunter’s gasp before he slowly turned allowing Sam to see the whip marks on his back as well. 

Sam slowly reached out a hand to gently trace over some of the scars, noticing Gabriel’s shudder, but not pulling back. He wouldn’t force it if Gabriel moved away or asked him to stop, but barring that, he wanted Gabriel to know that he accepted him. Scars and all. “H-how much of this is from…your captivity?” Sam asked, afraid of the answer. 

Gabriel shrugged his shirt back on and started buttoning it up again, as if the words had broken the spell. “Assmo didn’t have anything capable of permanently harming an archangel,” he said in answer as he kept walking, unable to look Sam in the eyes. 

Sam walked quickly to catch up and reached over to thread his hand with Gabriel’s again. “So you’re saying there’s a price. What happened to make you willing to pay it?” 

Gabriel gave a heavy sigh. “That’s a story for another day, Samshine. Please.” 

Sam nodded and gave Gabriel’s hand a squeeze. “Okay. Another day then.” Sam saw all that he needed to see for the moment. Gabriel would open up. He just couldn’t handle too much of the big stuff at once. It was completely understandable. But maybe an easier question. “So how long have I…you know…been more important to you than I should be?” 

Gabriel gave a wry smile. “Since the day I met you.” 

Sam tilted his head curiously as he turned that day over in his mind, but he couldn’t remember anything that could have been enough to break through Gabriel’s heart. “Why?” he finally had to ask. 

“Because you weren’t what you were supposed to be,” Gabriel said cryptically. 

“What do you mean?” Sam asked confused. 

“You were Lucifer’s vessel. The demons were manipulating you most of your life. You were supposed to be cold, cruel, quick to anger, but you were exactly the opposite. You were…more like the kind big brother I loved than the monster he became. It takes real strength to overcome those kind of life-long manipulations. It impressed me more than you could know.”

Sam smiled softly at that. He didn’t think he was that strong, but who was he to argue with an archangel over something like that. From there, the conversation turned back to mundane things as they walked the breadth of the island. 

As it started getting dark out, Sam suddenly stopped as he saw a small cottage sitting in the woods. It was about half the size of the house Gabriel had made for them. “Is that…” 

Gabriel smiled. “That’s my house.” 

“I thought it would be bigger,” Sam said trying to take it in. 

“Let me guess. You expected a huge mansion trimmed with gold and luxury unimagined?” 

“Something like that,” Sam chuckled.

Gabriel shook his head. “What use would I have for any of that? I can snap up anything I want. The big fancy houses serve a purpose, but I have no one to impress here. I don’t need the façade. I never intended on any of you seeing my house until now,” he said as he squeezed Sam’s hand in a demonstration of what he meant. 

“Well when you put it like that…it suits you I think.” 

Gabriel smiled. “Want to see inside?” Sam nodded so Gabriel headed over to the house and opened it up, letting go of Sam’s hand as he entered so he could get a good look around. 

Sam looked around, trying to get more glimpses behind Gabriel’s masks, as he considered everything he was seeing. The small utility kitchen was done in mostly wood tones with only the wood burning range as a metallic gray. Connected to the kitchen was a small sitting area with two couches, colorful throw blankets haphazardly placed. The couches were facing a stone fireplace with a large mantlepiece that held a few photos. Sam let Gabriel lead him up the stairs next to the front door and Gabriel showed him the large bedroom with a simple canopy bed that Gabriel said was his, and then down the hall to the small library and two other bedrooms. “What are the other bedrooms for?” Sam asked curiously. 

Gabriel shrugged. “This is basically a replica of my private home from millennia ago when I first came to Earth. Back then I was a little more…open and had guests from time to time.” 

Sam opened his mouth and almost asked again what happened, but stopped himself in time and turned to keep up with Gabriel as he led back downstairs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I think I have a handle on my schedule now and will be able to write at least a few days a week, though I will be radio silent for half the week too. Sorry about the long wait.

Once they got back downstairs, Gabriel went to the cabinet and pulled out a small metal bowl and snapped his fingers to fill it with raw meat and vegetables and put it on the floor. “You can let Lykos down to eat now,” he told Sam. 

Sam nodded and opened his shirt to let the squirmy pup down and he attacked the food like he hadn’t eaten in a month. Sam chuckled at him before turning to look at Gabriel who was now lounging on the couch. When Gabriel motioned him to sit, he sat down next to Gabriel. “You look uncomfortable,” he observed. 

“Do I?” Gabriel asked curiously. He was taking care not to show his discomfort at all, so he wondered where he was slipping. 

“Not physically really. Just…something in your eyes or your stance. I can’t quite put my finger on it.” 

Gabriel’s lips quirked into a smile. Sam noticing such things boded well for any future relationship they may have. “It’s just been a very long time since I had anyone in my private home. I…I’m not really used to this whole…open thing.”

“Why are you doing it then?” Sam asked curiously. He wondered how strong Gabriel’s feelings for him were if they could mean more to him than his own comfort. Or maybe it was just a matter of feeling cut off since there were only four people left in existence including him and he felt the need to open up to someone, so it might as well be the one he cares at least a little bit for. 

Gabriel looked away and shrugged. He wasn’t sure he was ready to go that deep yet. Why couldn’t Sam just let his actions speak and not ask for the words too. “Because you’re different,” he finally said and hoped that got the point across. 

Sam smiled. It had gotten the point across. It told him that it was him instead of the situation. He was starting to realize that Gabriel wasn’t great with words, but his actions said enough. Sam’s only problem was believing the actions instead of overthinking everything. He was sure they would find a way to meet in the middle though. Sam reached out a hand to brush a lock of Gabriel’s hair behind an ear and try to get the archangel to look at him. 

Gabriel leaned into the touch and turned to Sam as Sam’s hand flattened to his cheek and the hunter’s thumb rubbed across Gabriel’s cheekbone. “Thank you, Gabriel,” Sam said in almost a whisper. “For caring enough to let me in.” When Sam leaned forward to kiss him, Gabriel met him halfway, determined that this kiss wouldn’t be interrupted the way the last one was. 

Sam’s breath hitched as he felt Gabriel’s probing tongue and he tightened his arms around the archangel and slid his hand from Gabriel’s cheek into his hair. He felt one of Gabriel’s hands slide up under his shirt and he couldn’t help the satisfied hum that came out, as he did the same. He was surprised to feel the scars on Gabriel’s back, showing that his illusions were still down, but it made him more sure that he was doing the right thing. Gabriel wasn’t hiding from him anymore. 

The kiss didn’t end until Gabriel could tell that Sam needed air, at which point he pulled his lips away from Sam’s and moved over his jaw and down his neck, Sam’s moan at the action going straight to his groin. Before he had even decided whether to move this forward they were interrupted by Sam’s cell phone ringing. The groan that came from him was echoed by Sam as he pulled the phone from his pocket. 

“Hey Dean,” Sam said, trying not to let the irritation into his voice. It was well after dark, so perfectly reasonable for Dean to be checking in under the circumstances, and much better than his completely over the top reaction yesterday when Sam was out late. 

“Sammy, where are you?” Dean asked quickly. 

“I’ve been exploring the island,” Sam told him. He didn’t want to deal with the fight about Gabe right this minute. 

“When will you be back?” Dean asked impatiently. 

“I don’t know. Not for a while probably.”

“We don’t know how safe it is out here at night,” Dean said pointedly. 

“It’ll be fine. There aren’t even any animals or anything around yet,” Sam said with a roll of his eyes. He wasn’t counting Lykos since the little wolf was his and not part of the island. 

“That doesn’t mean Gabriel won’t find you and fuck with you.” 

Sam coughed a bit at the wording, as he blushed. “And being in the house would stop him if he really wanted to?”

Dean couldn’t really argue with that, so he just dropped it. “Okay, fine. Just be careful, and check in every now and then.” 

“Okay, Dean,” Sam rolled his eyes again and hung up. He had noticed Gabriel leave not long after the start of the conversation, and assumed that the archangel was just trying to give him his privacy. He found Gabriel in the library, looking out the window and went up behind him and wrapped his arms around the archangel’s stomach. It wasn’t until Gabriel stiffened in his arms and pulled away that Sam realized that something was wrong. “Gabe?...what…”

“Nothing Sam. You should probably head back. You want a lift?” 

Sam frowned. Gabriel had his masks up again, and Sam couldn’t figure out why. “I don’t want to head back now. I want you to talk to me. What happened?” 

Gabriel snorted. “You mean other than you intentionally leaving out all mention of me in your conversation with your brother? Like I’m supposed to be some dirty little secret hidden away? No thanks, Sam. This island is too small for those kinds of secrets, and if that’s all I mean to you, you might as well just go.” 

Sam blinked for a moment before trying to put himself in Gabriel’s shoes, and he realized that he would probably see things the same way if their situations were reversed. “It’s not that Gabriel…” 

Gabriel laughed, harsh and disbelieving as he turned to leave. “Right. Sure, it’s not.”

Sam grabbed Gabriel’s hand and stopped him, barely stopping himself from dropping it, at the withering glare the archangel sent him. “Just…hear me out, Gabe, okay, and then if you still want me to leave then I will.” When Gabriel just pulled his hand away and crossed his arms, Sam figured that was as good as he was going to get. “I wasn’t planning on keeping it from Dean forever. I just didn’t think that getting into an argument in the middle of your house was very prudent. Plus, I just wanted to hold onto the happy for a little longer. And I didn’t want Dean taking any more crap out on you than he already has been. I was planning to work on him over the next few days to pull his head out of his ass and then tell him.” 

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “And you really think you can get your brother to pull his head out of his ass that fast? Besides the fact that you’re only willing to admit being with me when it’s convenient? Don’t you think I would have liked to hold onto the happy a while longer too without feeling like I was being shoved in the closet?” Gabriel knew that he wasn’t being entirely reasonable, not that he was being entirely unreasonable, but he’d been through enough of people using him and pushing him away when it wasn’t convenient. He’d had enough people in his life perfectly willing to be with him in secret, but balking at the idea of anyone finding out they were with the screw-up, the trickster, the bane of everyone’s existence. This was his dimension damnit. He wasn’t going to put up with it anymore. 

Sam could see there was more to it than Gabriel was saying, but he could also see Gabriel’s point. “Okay, Gabe. I get it. And you are far more important to me than keeping the peace,” he said as he pulled out his phone to call his brother back, only to be stopped by Gabriel’s hand on his arm. 

“Wait,” Gabriel said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, pushing his hang-ups to the back burner for the moment. Just the fact that Sam was willing to throw away his relationship with his brother for the sake of his comfort was enough to wake him up. 

Sam took Gabriel’s hand and reached the other up to the archangel’s cheek. “I don’t ever want you to feel like I’m ashamed of you, Gabe. Or that I want to hide you, in any way. I do think it would be better for us to do it as diplomatically as possible though. Remember there are only four people in the world at the moment. If it comes to a fight, then okay, but if we can avoid it, we should. That’s all I was thinking.” 

Gabriel nodded. “I know, Sam. I know you’re right. It’s just…I’ve had bad experiences and…” 

Sam pulled Gabriel in for a kiss. “I understand. Just know that I would never do that to you. Or to anyone. I /will/ tell Dean. Or /we/ will. Let’s just try to soften the blow a bit first, yeah?” When Gabriel nodded he kissed him one more time before leading them back to the living room.


	9. Chapter 9

As they were coming back into the living room, Sam again noticed the pictures on the mantle, and now that he was a little more comfortable detoured to look at them. “Who are they?” Sam asked curiously. 

“People,” Gabriel said with a bit of an embarrassed shrug. 

Sam stepped back, realizing that he may be intruding somewhere he’s not wanted. “Sorry. If you don’t want to talk about it…”

Gabriel stopped him. “It’s not that. It’s just…pick one, and I’ll tell you.” There wasn’t much to tie them together after all. 

Sam reached over and took a picture of a little blonde girl who looked familiar. “This one?” 

Gabriel smiled a bit as he looked at the picture. “I should have known you’d pick that one first. She was left alone in a motel room many years ago, which wasn’t exactly uncommon for that time. Unfortunately, the hotel manager had seen her and was the type to prey on children, and he noticed that her father left. He had just managed to get her undressed before I got there and he had a little accident. She was terrified, but I fixed her clothes and took her memory of the incident away. It turned out to be a better thing than I thought, since she didn’t need that memory in addition to the fact that her father never came back. He had died while it was going on.”

Sam felt tears well up in his eyes at the thought of what almost happened to such a happy beautiful child, and at the reminder of Gabriel’s side job. “She looks familiar. What’s her name?” Sam asked curiously. 

Gabriel took a deep breath, not sure how Sam would take the answer. “Joanna Beth Harvelle,” he said softly. 

Sam gasped, and pulled the picture closer to his face. “Jo…but…why?” 

“I saved her the same as I would any child in that situation. The reason she was special enough to be on the mantle was because I knew that her destiny would bring her into yours and your brother’s path, and that she would help you.” 

“So…all of these people are people you saved?” Sam asked, looking over the dozen or so pictures again. 

“Some of them. The ones that had big destinies. The rest are…were…stored in my other homes.”

“Who’s this one?” Sam asked pulling a picture of a young man who couldn’t have been more than twenty-five. 

“Jonas Salk. He was kidnapped by a serial killer and being tortured before I got his prayer. He ended up going on to cure polio.” 

“And this one?” Sam asked as he pulled a picture of a young African-American boy. 

“This one was about to be lynched for the crime of existing. I don’t normally get involved with political issues like that, but this one was different. That picture is of Martin Luther King, Jr.” 

“And this one?” Sam pulled a picture of a young Native American girl. 

“She was a more recent save. The researcher in Ohio that was eaten by the alligator had her trapped in his basement being eaten alive by rats and roaches. Her name is…was…Nina Tsotsie and she would have gone on to cure cancer,” Gabriel said sadly. 

It was at that moment that Sam realized that Gabriel really had lost as much as they had when the world ended. Maybe even more. “So you know…or knew…what everyone would go on and do in their lives?” 

“Yes and no. I knew what everyone would have the potential to do. Where their paths were likely to lead. Occasionally they would be taken off course by something. I didn’t manage to save everyone who had a great destiny, but for the most part yes. Of course, I’m just talking broad strokes. I don’t know everything they would have said or done or the details of their lives. Just the overall achievements.” 

“And you saved the ones that had big destinies?” Sam asked trying to understand. 

Gabriel shook his head. “No. I saved as many as I could regardless of their destinies. The ones with big destinies are just the ones that are on the mantle, and that’s more of a space management thing. They help me remember that even when I’m being treated like an evil monster, I can still manage to make a difference.”

Sam pulled Gabriel into a hug, resting his cheek on top of the archangel’s head. “I’m sorry we ever thought you were a monster,” he said softly, as a few tears fell from his eyes. 

Gabriel pulled his arms up around Sam and sank into the embrace. “I know, Samshine. You were young and essentially brainwashed. It was never you that hurt me so badly. Not really. It was those that should have known better that really hurt.”

“I know, but you still didn’t deserve it,” Sam told him before kissing him and going back to sit on the couch, Gabriel curled to his side. No sooner than he sat down, he had a wolf pup pawing at his leg, so he leaned down to pick Lykos up and set him in his lap. “Did you eat good little guy?” Sam cooed at him as Lykos walked in circles over Sam’s lap and then laid down to go to sleep. 

Gabriel reached over to pet the pup too as he laid his head on Sam’s shoulder, and they continued their conversation. It didn’t last long before the smell permeated the room and both of them gagged as the puppy farted. “Good god Gabriel! Did you feed him something rotted?” Sam asked as he tried to get away from the smell. 

Gabriel snapped his fingers to clear the air, but the smell lingered, and it took Sam a moment to pinpoint it. “Oh god, it’s seeped into my clothes!” Gabriel laughed and snapped his fingers changing Sam’s clothes without disturbing the pup who slept through the whole thing. Once Sam could breathe clean air again, he looked at Gabriel amusedly. “Leave it to you to give me a pup with gastric issues.” 

Gabriel laughed even harder. “Not on purpose, but it happens sometimes.” 

Sam just shook his head and pulled Gabriel back to his side, and they continued talking for hours. Sam was surprised that Gabriel had drifted off to sleep before he remembered how hard Gabriel had been pushing himself to build up this dimension. He supposed Gabriel’s powers were pretty low. He decided to try to talk him into slowing down. They had what they needed. He could take his time now. He looked at the time and decided there was no way he would try to walk home this late. Dean would just have to deal. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on Gabriel’s and fell asleep. 

They were both woken up about five hours later by Sam’s phone. “What?” he answered, half-asleep. 

“Where the hell are you? You never came home last night?” Dean snapped. 

“What am I? Twelve? I’m allowed to spend the night with my boyfriend if I want to you know,” Sam snapped back, more than a little irritated at being woken up. 

“Your…but…who…Gabriel?!” Dean sputtered, knowing that there was no one else it could be. 

“Yes, Gabriel, now I would like to go back to sleep if you don’t mind.” 

“Oh no. This isn’t over, Sam. I don’t know what the douche did to you, but…” 

“He didn’t do anything to me, Dean. I’ve had a thing for him for a long time, and I happen to be happy, or as much as I can in the circumstances, so just drop it. We’ll talk later after I’ve had some sleep,” Sam said shortly as he hung up. He knew that Dean would stew for a while, but he’d get over it and then maybe they could have an actual conversation with less yelling. When his phone rang again right after that, he turned it off. 

“What happened to being diplomatic?” Gabriel mumbled sleepily. 

“Too tired for diplomatic,” Sam slurred, already halfway back to sleep. 

Gabriel was awake enough to transport them and Lykos to bed instead of the couch before he too, was asleep again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this chapter is based on a true story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent and noxious.


End file.
